The Lost Prophecy Book One: Bane
by Quillfang
Summary: "Night will fall. Light must meet Dark in battle, and the forest will be drowned in blood." Quillpaw is a WindClan apprentice, intent on becoming the best warrior in the forest. But when he finds out about the strange prophecy that was given to the first Medicine cats, the Clans will be changed forever. Rated T for some bloody scenes. I don't own Warriors, only cats and plot.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Silver moonlight shone into the cavern, hitting the stone that sat in the center of it, making it glow. Four cats stood by the stone, looking at it with wonder. The light turned the cat's pelts to starry silver, and their eyes to white light. One cat stood forward. She was a white tabby she-cat. Her stormy green eyes looked over the other cats. "Pebbleheart, Cloudspots, Dapplepelt, are we ready to meet with StarClan?" The other three cats nodded, then one by one, lay down and pressed their nose to the stone. After each cat had begun meeting with StarClan, she did the same. She lay down and pressed her nose against the stone, closing her eyes slowly. She felt cold for an instant, but then fell into a deep sleep.

She woke up in a starry moorland , surrounded by nothing but the wind and sky. She padded around happily, breathing in the sweet scent of StarClan's hunting grounds. She turned around to see a starry tabby walking slowly towards her. "Greetings, Mothflight," the StarClan cat told her. Mothflight nodded her head. "Come with me," the StarClan warrior told her. "Alright," Mothflight replied and followed.

The cat led her to a star-filled hollow, surrounded by four oak trees. At one side of the hollow, a huge white rock stood. "It's Fourtrees!" Mothflight murmured. She looked up to the her guide for an explanation. "This is how StarClan sees the you," she told Mothflight. "But something is coming that may drive apart your Clans. Perhaps even destroy them forever," Mothflight gasped. "How? How can anything destroy our Clans?" she asked. "This will happen long after your lifetime, Mothflight. But you must pass this onto your apprentice," she warned her urgently. The white she-cats eyes widened. "Pass what on?" she asked, puzzled.

The starry cat stood back from her, fear filling the warriors eyes. Mothflight gulped. _What can make a StarClan cat afraid? _"What? Tell me what I must know!" she insisted. The warrior nodded. "Night will fall. Light must meet Dark in battle, and the forest will be drowned in blood."


	2. Chapter 1

Blood. Blood was all he could see. It stained the once-green moorlands, along with the littered bodies of cats, either injured or dead. Other cats that had not fallen were fighting, screeching and yowling filled the skies. He was trying to find someone, searching desperately scanning the battlefield. He weaved in and out of the fighting cats, looking over every fallen warrior to see if it was the one he looked for. _No! _He saw a stained light gray pelt lying still on the ground, bloodied and torn from battle. He raced to it, but something blocked him. A wall of white fur knocked into him, and stared at him, with glowing red eyes. He yowled, but it was cut off by claws ripping through him.

Quillpaw leaped out of his nest, breathing heavily. He shook his head, clearing his mind from what had just happened and padded out into the sandy hollow where WindClan made it's camp. _It was only a dream, _he thought, relieved. He looked up into the camp, cats sharing tongues peacefully, eating fresh-kill and talking happily. "Quillpaw!" he heard a call from the other side of the clearing. It was his mentor, Rainfeather from the base of the Tallrock. She flicked her tail in greeting. "Border patrol! Hurry up before we leave without you," his mentor told him, warmth in her light blue eyes. He nodded, then quickly groomed himself. He raced over to the patrol and stood beside his mentor. Jayfall, the Clan deputy scowled as her saw him. Jayfall was his father, and Quillpaw hated to see himself disappoint him. "Your late, Quillpaw. At least _try _and get up early sometimes!" the deputy meowed in irritation. He nodded. "I'll try." Jayfall flicked his tail to the rest of the patrol, Petalbird and Rushclaw, and they padded out of the gorse tunnel.

They headed for the ThunderClan border, padding causally along the moor. The scents of prey filled Quillpaw's nose, and he looked up to Rainfeather hopefully. "Rainfeather, can I go get some prey?" he asked. She nodded. "Get back quickly though," she told him. He nodded eagerly and raced away to where he had smelled the delicious scent of rabbit. He tracked it in the grasses, close to a few underground tunnels that WindClan had abandoned many moons ago. _It probably made a warren there! _He thought excitedly. _Maybe I can catch them all! _

He ran on for what seemed like moons. As he walked, he realized his pawsteps were making echos underground. _I must be near the tunnels. _He began to lighten his steps. The echos grew louder and louder. "I'd better get out of here, before the tunnels collapse," he meowed to himself. His pawsteps sounded...heavier? _That couldn't be right, _he thought. _But how..._ A loud roar interrupted his thoughts. He whipped around to see a badger running straight towards him. It's beady little eyes glinted in the sunlight angrily. With a yowl of fear, Quillpaw ran as fast as he could, away from the badger. It roared again and picked up it's pace. Suddenly, the ground disappeared from under his feet and he fell.

As soon as he fell, he checked to see what had happened to the badger. It had fallen in with him, and was trying to climb out of the rubble and dirt. It roared at Quillpaw. He knew he had to get away and fast. His legs carried him farther into the tunnels, not caring where he went, only how far away he got. He stopped when he realized the creature wasn't following him anymore. He stopped to take a breath. He began to walk again, trying to figure out where he had come from. With a sickening feeling he realized he was lost. He started running, trying hard to find the place where the tunnels had collapsed. But he kept running through the endless maze, and every corner he turned led into more darkness.

After what seemed like moons, he saw a light, faintly glowing towards the end of the tunnel. He picked up his pace and went toward it. As he got closer, the light seemed...dim, like it was going out. He realized it wasn't sunlight. And as he reached the light and the end of the tunnel, Quillpaw found why WindClan had left these tunnels. It led into the heart of Twolegplace.


	3. Chapter 2

Quillpaw stared in horror at the stinking Twolegplace. "How in the name of StarClan did I get _here?" _he wondered aloud. He began to slowly move forward, trying to smell the air. It was foul, smelling of smoke and monsters and another scent, one that was rotten. _Crow-food! _He thought, disgusted. He didn't want to go back to the tunnels. Quillpaw didn't want to risk starving or dieing. He decided he would have to make his way through Twolegplace and find a way out.

He breathed in the air again, trying to find anything that could be the clear WindClan moorland. For some reason, he smelled it. _How? _He asked himself, puzzled. He turned around and saw a pair of surprised yellow eyes staring into his. "Rabbitpaw?" he gasped. The cat backed away nervously. "Quillpaw?" she asked quietly. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?" he asked accusingly. She nodded guiltily. "I... I wanted to see where you were going," she explained. Quillpaw scowled at the small light gray tabby. "Well, I'm not going back through the tunnels," he said firmly. "I don't want to die of starvation." Rabbitpaw just nodded. "Well, lets go, then." He stalked away into the shadows.

The sun was setting when he decided to stop and rest. He had stopped and hunted a few times, catching only a few scrawny mice and a rat or two. They had found little water, drinking from small puddles or dirty water. It tasted metallic, like the smell of monsters. He hated it, and wondered how rogues and loners lived here. "Quillpaw?" Rabbitpaw asked, nervously. "Wh-where are we going to stay?" Quillpaw hissed to himself. He had no clue where they would stay, only that they needed to find shelter. He scanned around the stinking alleyway they had stopped in, looking for anything that he could use as shelter. He finally found something, a harsh, bright silver hollow stump, smelling of crow-food and some other things, but it would work to shelter two weary cats. He turned to Rabbitpaw and flicked his tail to the stump. "We can stay there," she only nodded. He noticed that she was looking exhausted, her light tabby fur matted with dirt and bits of twoleg stuff.

Quillpaw went slowly into the stump. It was rather small and cramped, but it would work for one night. He dragged some twoleg trash and made them into piles as makeshift nest. _Not the best, but it'll have to do. _Rabbitpaw came slowly in, sniffing the air. She hissed as she inhaled the foul scent. "How do twolegs live here? It stinks!" she said in dismay. "Well, that's a nest," Quillpaw pointed to the small pile of trash. She sighed, then lied down, shifting her position to make herself comfortable. "I'll go and try to get something to eat," he told his fellow apprentice. She nodded, then closed her eyes. He padded out and left the alleyway. He finally located a small bird sitting on a fence. He got onto his haunches, and got ready to pounce. He was about to jump when a terrified screech came from the alley. The bird flew away. Quillpaw whipped around to race back. When he reached Rabbitpaw, he saw her clawing at a giant mass of gray and brown fur. "Help! Help!" she screamed. "Rats! There are RATS ATTACKING!"


	4. Chapter 3

Quillpaw hissed and leaped into the battle, sending two rats flying into a stone wall of a twoleg nest. He made his way to Rabbitpaw, slashing and biting at the rats, whose beady red eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Their little deadly claws flashed in front of his eyes, and they began to screech and swarm towards him, brown and gray fur flooding over him and Rabbitpaw.

Quillpaw unsheathed his claws and slashed at the rats, wounding and killing them. One large one raced under his legs and jumped at Rabbitpaw. She screamed and grabbed it by the scruff, shaking it and sending it into a heap of trash when she let it go. "Quillpaw!" she yowled over the squeaking and screeching of the rats. "We have to go!" He shook his head. "We can't go now! They might follow us and anyways, there might be other dangers out there!" he whipped around and stamped his foot on a small rat. It squealed and went limp. He picked it up and threw it into a huge rat, sending it falling over.

As he fought, he felt himself getting more and more tired. _We'll be overwhelmed! _He thought in horror. His strikes got weaker and weaker. Soon, the rats had got on top of him and Rabbitpaw and were beginning to bite. He heard Rabbitpaw yowl in pain as on large rat bit her scruff. He tried to roll over and squash the rats, but they swarmed on top of him. His vision began to go dark. He fought to stay awake, but it was no use. He closed his eyes and prepared to go to StarClan.

He opened his eyes, expecting to see starlight, but he saw the empty alleyway of the twoleggplace. Empty. The rats had gone. But how, and why? He looked to his right and saw Rabbitpaw scrambling to her paws. He shook himself and followed her lead. When he got up, he saw a large white tabby standing in front of him. He squinted suspiciously at the tabby. "Why, hello, friend," the tabby meowed smoothly. "I saw your little encounter with those rats. Terrible creatures, aren't they?" he continued. Rabbitpaw nodded, slowly, her yellow eyes nervous. "Well, you seem to have some severe wounds, don't you!" he said when neither apprentice replied. "Well, I have just the thing to heal them. Just follow me," the tabby flicked his tail and padded away. The two Clan cats looked at each other. "Should we go with him?" Rabbitpaw whispered. "It's our only option," he hissed back. "Maybe he can really heal us." she nodded, then followed the white cat.

"So," Quillpaw caught up to their guide. "What's your name?" he asked. "Oh, yes, I forgot to say. My name is Bane. Strange name, yes, but I earned it," "How?" Rabbitpaw asked, just behind them. "Oh, it's a long story. I wont say it now. It will probably bore you," he replied. There was silence. "Well." Bane said. "What are _your _names?" he asked curiously. Quillpaw flicked his tail. "I'm Quill. This is Rabbit," He glanced quickly to Rabbitpaw. His told her, _Better not reveal we're Clan cats. _She nodded. Bane nodded. "Well, we are almost at my home," he said. The two apprentices looked at each other. Quillpaw felt like something bad was about to happen.

Bane's home was a small group of dens that looked similar to a Clan camp. _Odd. _Quillpaw thought. _If it's one cat, why so many dens? _He soon saw why. There were rough looking cats wearing collars studded with dogs teeth. He heard Rabbitpaw gulp and he placed his tail on her flank to comfort her. "Oh, don't worry! They don't bite guests. Only enemies," Bane reassured them. It didn't seem like it. Bane pointed with his tail to another hollow stump. "There are no rats there, I assure you," he meowed. There were two of the cats standing outside of it, claws unsheathed. _Like their guarding it. _He thought. Quillpaw was beginning to regret his choice to follow Bane. "Go in. It's safe," Bane told them. They padded inside cautiously. It was dark, and the outlines of light fur stood out. "What's in there?" he asked, surprised. No one answered him. He turned around and saw Rabbitpaw trying to stop the guards from closing the entrance. He saw Bane standing outside, his eyes gleaming with with mock friendliness. "See you, Quill and Rabbit," he purred, then the entrance was shut. "Help!" Rabbitpaw tried calling, but no one replied. Quillpaw turned back to the den to try and find something to help. But what he looked into where glowing, amber eyes.


	5. Chapter 4

Quillpaw arched his back at the cat standing in the shadows and hissed. "If you dare harm me or my friend at all, you'll be sorry!" The cat blinked.

"By the looks of you, Bane just captured you," it meowed. It's voice was male, and he sounded young, around the same age he and Rabbitpaw where. "We're Clan cats," he warned the tom. "And we know how to fight!" The cat's eyes widened. "A Clan cat! Thank StarClan!" it meowed, then stepped out of the shadows.

The tom was very young, with a dark gray tabby pelt and one black paw. He was scrawny and his pelt was matted, like he had been trapped here for a long time. "I'm Burntpaw of ThunderClan. Splashtail, Goosebeak, and Ravenheart are the only other Clan cats here," he flicked his tail to each cat in turn.

"Are you the only cats in this den?" Rabbitpaw asked, shyly, stepping forward next to Quillpaw. Burntpaw nodded.

"All Clan cats are kept separate from the rest. I heard him call you Quill and Rabbit, so I assume you're Quillpaw and Rabbitpaw, and Bane guessed that you belonged to a Clan," the ThunderClan cat replied.

Quillpaw just nodded. Burntpaw was smart. If they wanted to escape, he would be someone to consult.

"Burntpaw, keep your voice down," one cat hissed at him. It was Goosebeak, from the way Burntpaw had indicated him. "You don't want the guards to come in and teach you a lesson." The apprentice nodded, then turned to Quillpaw. "If you speak too loud, the guards will come in and claw you," he turned so he could see a long gash on his flank, from his shoulder stretching down to his hind paw. Ravenheart, a black tortoiseshell she-cat stepped out of the shadows. "Someone is coming," she warned, sniffing the air. She was right. The stench of one of Bane's guards was approaching, and fast. Burntpaw slunk back into the shadows. Quillpaw sat down, and Rabbitpaw followed. The thing in front of the entrance opened and revealed a snarling guard. "Bane wants you," it snarled, showing stained yellow fangs. "In the arena. Today's games are beginning."

**I know, short, but the next chapter makes up for it! It'll be bloody though...**

**Go to my profile and vote on what Bane's three top guards should be named!**


	6. Chapter 5

The guard herded the Clan cats out of the den and towards another alleyway. It was night, and the stars shone coldly down upon them. _StarClan_, Quillpaw sent up a silent prayer to their warrior ansectors. _Help us get out of here! _The alley led out onto a large slab of stinking black stone, with clumps of brown and yellow grass sticking up from it. Rats skittered around in the shadows, their evil eyes glowing.

"Up there," the guard growled and jerked his tail up to a set of small stacked slabs, each placed so you could walk up and down them. The cats went up them, hissing as Bane's guards shoved them. The slabs led to an abandoned twoleg nest, where more wooden slabs were placed to get up. They were pushed and into the nest and onto a balcony overlooking the large slab of black stone. Bane sat there with three guards, looking down intently at the stone. Bane turned when he smelled the approaching cats.

"Ah, yes! Our Clan guests! I am _delighted _to see you here!" he meowed with mock happines. "You are just in time for the games!" _Games? That doesn't sound good..._Quillpaw thought. Bane purred when he saw his expression. "You will see soon, Quill- What is the next part of your name?" he asked. "You don't seem any older than young Burntpaw there." The ThunderClan apprentice bristled when his name was called. Quillpaw remained silent. "You must be Quillpaw, then," the white tabby assumed, and without waiting for an answer, he turned back to the black stone and yowled. "All cats who belong to me, gather at the Black Stone!" As soon as he summoned them, cats poured out of the alleys and took a place behind a twoleg fence made out of hard web, yowling and screeching. Bane let it die down, then began to speak again. "Cats, today's games will be between two brave warriors of the Clans!" When the word 'Clan' was said, the assembled cats began to yowl even louder. One of the guards sitting around Bane got up and snarled. The crowd instantly became silent.

"Now, bring out the contestants!" Bane yowled. Quillpaw looked down at where Bane was gazing. Two alleyways, on opposite sides of the stone, two guards were posted. They entered the alley and dragged out too scrawny cats. One was a scrawny black tom with wild amber eyes. Quillfang gasped. It was Eagleleap, a WindClan senior warrior who had gone missing a few moons before. The warrior snarled and snapped at the guards, who clawed his ear in reply. He howled, then tried to turn around and run. The guards snarled at him and forced him onto the ground.

The next cat was a large tabby, with icy blue eyes and a snow-white pelt. He seemed much more calm. "Our two battling cats today are Eagleleap of WindClan. He is a special case!" the crowd roared. "He is used to open spaces of the moor, and cannot stand living without them! So what did I do to make him a better show?" he asked. The cats stood silent, waiting for an answer. "I kept him alone in a dark, enscosed den without any room to move! And he was driven insane!" He heard a gasp from Rabbitpaw. Quillpaw rested his tail on her back comfortingly. "The next competitor is Frozenclaw of ThunderClan! He chose to compete in the Games to win his freedom," the cats howled.

"Now, without further ado, let the games begin!"

**Ok, I promised you guys blood, and there's none in this chapter. I had to make it shorter. Don't beat me up ok?  
**

**Thanks to all the people who read, review, and like! Keep doing so!  
**

**And remember to vote on my profile to see what Bane's top three guards will be named! **

**Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 6

**And now, what you've all been waiting for... *Drumroll***

**THE NEXT CHAPTER! **

**Sorry I haven't posted for a while, I've been kinda busy and can't get around to writing. And by the way, this is probably the most bloody chapter in the whole book!**

Quillpaw looked down in horror at the two battling cats, his fur bristling. Eagleleap and Frozenclaw circled each other, snarling and hissing. Eagleleap flashed out his claws in an attempt to strike his opponent's chest, but the big white warrior jumped back and bared his teeth. Eagleleap spat at Frozenclaw, and leaped. Frozenclaw's dark amber eyes flashed with surprise as he was knocked down by the scrawny WindClan warrior. They writhed on the hard black stone, screeching and howling. Eagleleap got on top of the white cat and bit down hard on Frozenclaw's throat. He yowled in pain and shock as bright red blood went spewing everywhere. Behind him, Rabbitpaw shrieked as blood spattered on the balcony near Bane's paws. The crowd roared at the sight of blood coloring the stones.

Frozenclaw snarled and flipped Eagleleap over onto his back. He tried biting down on his throat, but the lithe WindClan warrior wriggled free and jumped onto his back. Tufts of white fur stained with red filled the air. Quillpaw stamped his paw in frustration. _How do I stop this? _He thought as the two Clan cats battled for their lives.

Eagleleap stared at the blood pooling under his legs. He bared his stained yellow teeth at Frozenclaw and snarled. The white ThunderClan warrior spat at him in reply. Eagleleap rushed at him, howling, and forced Frozenclaw to the ground. He bit madly at his enemy's flank, blood pouring out onto the Eagleleap's muzzle, coating it completely scarlet. Frozenclaw screeched and pushed Eagleleap off. He grabbed the scrawny warrior and shook him by the scruff and let go, sending Eagleleap flying into the wall of an abandoned twoleg nest.

Rabbitpaw flinched. Quillpaw rested his tail on her shoulder, afraid she might leap into the battle and fight to defend Eagleleap.

Bane purred at the spectacle. He stood up after licking some blood from the pure white pelt. "Cats, I think we have a winner!" he yowled. Frozenclaw smirked, and stalked towards the injured warrior. Eagleleap's eyes registered what happened, and he whimpered with fear. _No! Don't kill- _Quillpaw's thoughts were interrupted by the crowds yowling with delight. Frozenclaw grabbed Eagleleap's neck in his mouth and snapped his jaws down. There was a eerie cracking noise, and blood flowed from the dying WindClan warrior.


	8. Chapter 9

Quillpaw hung his head as he and the other prisoners were herded back to their dens. He couldn't believe that these vile cats would pit weak, starving, scrawny cats against strong, healthy warriors. And He was disgusted with Bane. He was horrified that Frozenclaw, a brave ThunderClan warrior, would ever murder a another Clan cat. It was against the Warrior code. And he hated the crowed. He hated the jeering, yowling cats who could watch these arena battles and walk away without a second thought.

Burntpaw and Rabbitpaw trudged along beside him. Rabbitpaw's eyes were wide with shocked fear, and her whole body was trembling. Burntpaw's face only showed unmasked anger and hatred. The guards had the same stony scowl as they shoved the Clan cats into the den. Ravenheart was still in the den. She had been forced to stay inside during the games, and was probably anxious to hear what they had to tell. _She's probably glad, _Quillpaw thought as he fell heavily onto his nest of trash and torn grass. "Well," Ravenheart asked warily. "What happened in the arena?" Splashtail shivered, remembering the bloody battle. "It was horrible," the RiverClan warrior replied. Bane had Eagleleap and Frozenclaw fighting. And he did something horrible," she whispered.

"What?" Ravenheart prompted. "What did that piece of crow-food do?"

Rabbitpaw looked up for the first time since the battle. "He drove Eagleleap mad," she said, her voice quivering. "And Frozenclaw killed him. Not even in self defense."

The den fell silent. After a long time, Burntpaw spoke. "You know, I can't take this anymore," he meowed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I will not let this evil cat kill any more. We can't just stand by and let him do this anymore." Every cat in the den nodded or growled in agreement.

"But how?" Goosebeak asked. "We can't even leave this den to get food, much less speak to Bane."

"I don't know. But we have to think of something, or else every cat in Twolegplace will live in fear forever," Quillpaw meowed grimly.


	9. Chapter10

It had been a half-moon since the arena battle, and the prisoners had come up with a plan. Burntpaw had told Quillpaw that if a cat was disobedient enough, they would be placed in another prison and forced into the arena. Quillpaw, with the help of Goosebeak and Ravenheart, had formulated their strategy.

Burntpaw would cause multiple disturbances in the den, gaining him a battle in the arena. When he was finally forced into fighting, he, Rabbitpaw, and Splashpelt would would rally the other prisoners. Quillpaw, Goosebeak, and Ravenheart would take out Bane's guards. They would get into action on the next full moon.

Splashtail had found out the top guards' names and abilities, which she had said they would need later on.

Amber was a small dark orange tabby, the leader of the guards. She was merciless; the hardest one to get past. Next was Glint. He was a lanky gray tom with a wild gleam in his eyes. Most cats thought he was nearly mad, but he was deadly serious, and Bane's top planner. If they wanted to escape, he would be one of get rid of. The last was Brawl, a huge brown tom with long claws. He was fierce, ruthless, and brutal. Quillpaw had decided that he was too powerful to kill, so they would have to get him away from the arena for their plan to succeed.

Quillpaw ate a shrew with Rabbitpaw in the den. It was about sunhigh, and the hard silver walls of their prison were hot, so they lay on their nests of moss and trash. They spoke in low tones so their guards wouldn't hear.

"Where's Goosebeak?" Rabbitpaw murmured, her eyes round with worry. Quillpaw rested his tail-tip on her shoulder. "Bane wanted to see him for some reason," he replied, scowling. She winced.

"What if it messes up the plan?"

"It won't. Burntpaw and I have come up with extra plans in case things go wrong," he assured her.

_But what if Bane does something that we _can't_ fix? _

The unspoken question made Quillpaw feel helpless, but he forced himself to push the thought away. 'What ifs' weren't going to help them here. They would have to hope for the best and adapt.

But the nagging thought kept coming back to him. _What if... _

He and Rabbitpaw shot to their paws as a muffled yowl came from outside. "What was that?" Rabbitpaw gasped as the door to the den was rolled open.

Glint stood there, a lump of white-gray fur clamped in his jaws. The guard's fur was matted and shredded, but the evil gleam remained. "Here's your friend,Clan-cats!" he cackled, tossing what was in his mouth into the den. "You'll join him in StarClan very soon, I assure you." He rolled the door shut.

Rabbitpaw rolled the body over, and Quillpaw let out a yowl of anger and despair. The cat's orange eyes were glazed over, and his body was limp. "This is outrage!" he spat.

Burntpaw, Splashtail, and Ravenheart slunk over, their fur fluffed out and their eyes wide. For a while, they were silent, until Ravenheart let out a wail.

"We can't do the plan without Goosebeak!"


	10. Chapter 11

"We don't have a plan for _this_!" Burntpaw hissed. "Goosebeak has to help distract the guards! We can't fight off Brawl and Amber without him!" Quillpaw sunk his claws into one of the nests. He felt even more helpless. _Why? _He thought angrily. _Why?! _

Splashtail nudged both apprentices away, her eyes sad.

"Right now is the time to grieve," she murmured, gently dragging Goosebeak's body into the center of the den and lied down next to him, pressing her nose into his shoulder. Soon, the rest of the Clan cats followed her, sitting vigil for their friend. Quillpaw closed his eyes. "We'll make it out of here," he whispered. "Your death won't be in vain."

They rested there for a while, until the guards opened the entrance of flung in a few rats for their supper at sundown. Both Quillpaw and Burntpaw gave them a murderous glare, and the she-cats only looked away. They ate in silence, only mewing in murmurs and whispers when they needed to.

Quillpaw slept fitfully that night, tossing around in his nest. His dreams were dark and confused, a voice ringing in his ears. _Run...Run! _He heard, but was rooted to the spot as a huge black shadow roared towards him, two harsh yellow lights glaring down at him. He let out a yowl of fear as it crashed into him.

A voice shook him out of the nightmare. "Quillpaw?" Rabbitpaw asked quietly. He gazed up at her, eyes wide. "You were twitching," she mewed. "I wanted to see if you were alright."

He grimaced and nodded. "Just a nightmare," he murmured. She lied next to him. "Do you want to tak about it?" she asked, their pelts brushing. "I don't," he admitted. She nodded and licked his ear to comfort him. "I bet we've all had some tonight," she whispered. He purred a little, glad she was here. She pressed into his fur, and he curled his tail around her shoulders. He was glad she was here. The one cat he could trust here in this twolegplace. She rested her head on his shoulder, and they both drifted into sleep.


	11. Chapter 12

**AWWWWWW! So heart-warming! Yeah, I wrote that chapter for the sole purpose of starting the little romance between Quillpaw and Rabbitpaw. It'll be building until we finally reach the last book. I won't tell ye more than that! :3**

**-Quilly **

After another quarter moon of revising their plan, the Clan cats had figured out the new plan. [A/N: I wont reveal this plan, it's a surprise!] Burntpaw and Quillpaw had decided to launch it the next arena battle. They had made allies with the other prisoners, who readily volunteered to help their plan. Most wanted freedom, while a few wanted revenge.

Quillpaw drew lines in the thin layer of soil that coated the bottom of the den. Around him, the others were laying down and resting in the small patches of sunlight that filtered through a few holes in the roof. All was rather peaceful today; no conflicts with the guards at all, and no more meetings with Bane. Still, he was uneasy. He felt this peace was like a calm before the storm. He knew that the big white tom was planning something, but it puzzled him about what it was.

The den entrance was uncovered and a huge, furry, brown head shoved it's way in. Quillpaw shot to his paws. The rest of them looked up with alarm. It was Brawl.

"Bane wants all of you Clan whelps to get to the arena, now," the guard snarled.

"The arena?" Splashtail asked, her brown fur fluffed up with surprise. "But the games aren't until next full moon!"

"So what?" Brawl spat back. "He's holding a surprise battle! So come on!" He lunged forwards and grabbed Rabbitpaw by the scruff.

"Let her go!" Quillpaw spat, leaping forward. Burntpaw followed, and Ravenheart and Splashtail all shoved him out, tumbling after him. Brawl hissed and batted them away with his forepaws.

"I would kill you," he seethed. "But Bane wants you alive."

They were forced into Bane's den, an old twoleg structure that had been abandoned long ago, overlooking the arena. Guards patrols the different levels of the den, their claws unsheathed and their collars bristling with studded spikes, and to Quillpaw's horror, dogs teeth. They were nearly a Clan, but they were ruled by fear. They weren't well taken care of, either. Their fur was matted as they patrolled, and their eyes were dull. It was a sorry sight.

Brawl, along with two others, led them to the ledge where they had watched Eagleleap die at the claws of Frozenclaw. Quillpaw shuddered. Dry blood still stained the splintered wood, smooth underpaw.

They saw the big white tom watching the arena, his eyes wandering the hard cracked stone. He turned as he scented them. His tail flicked in a command, and the guards stepped back.

"Well, well, well!" Bane purred with mock friendliness. "Welcome back to the balcony!"

Beside him, Quillpaw could feel Burntpaw arch his back. "What do you want?" the ThunderClan apprentice demanded angrily. "Brought us here so you can kill us?"

Bane smirked. "No, not at all, young Burntpaw," he meowed coolly. "Though one of you won't be returning right away." He stepped closer and gazed at Rabbitpaw, who was pressed up fearfully at Quillpaw's side.

_Fear. _

Quillpaw realized what Bane was doing. He was taking their Clanmates one by one to make them afraid. Goosebeak's death was one way, and keeping Rabbitpaw was another.

"Take them away," Bane ordered, baring his teeth in a sudden snarl.

The guards obeyed, and ripped Rabbitpaw away from the group. Quillpaw's eyes locked onto his friend's, and she nodded slowly. He would rescue her; he had.


End file.
